Gordon Freeman returns with the first in a series of follow-ups to the most highly rated first person shoot em-up

Gordon Freeman returns with the first in a series of follow-ups to the most highly rated first person shoot em-up ever on the PC. Theres no five year wait for a sequel this time, however, as the war against the Combine continues.

Originally intended as a standard expansion pack entitled Aftermath, this is the first in a new series of episodic content for Half-Life 2, to be released far more frequently than normal expansions and which do not require the original game to play. This chapter focuses as much on the beautiful Alyx Vance and her robot bodyguard "Dog" as Gordon, and deals with the direct aftermath of the end of Half-Life 2, and the exodus from City 17. Graphically the game uses an enhanced version of the original graphic engine -- beefed up using the new high dynamic range (HDR) lighting technology from the Lost Coast technical demo. There are also two multiplayer games include in the package: one based on Half-Life 2 and the other on an enhanced version of the original Half-Life.

Watching Alyxs pet Dog throwing cars and soldiers around like toys as they battle alongside you in one of the most graphically impressive environments ever seen in a PC game.

Valve has already confirmed an Episode Two expansion for Half-Life 2, as well as similar episodic games for a sequel to 1998s SiN using the same graphics technology.

The best FPS ever is back and looking and playing better than ever.

Harrison Dent

Half-Life has been named Game of the Year by over 35 organizations worldwide. Half-Life 2: Aftermath is an all-new episode created by Valve that extends the Half-Life 2 single player adventure.